The UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on Friday named the members of its fact-finding mission into the May flotilla incident, in which Israeli forces raided several Turkish ships bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip. The UNHRC announced the formation of the commission in June, shortly after the incident, …

The US District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania on Friday accepted a plea agreement with former Pennsylvania judge Michael Conahan for his involvement in the juvenile sentencing scandal. Conahan, the former president judge of the Luzerne County Court of Common Pleas, pleaded guilty to racketeering and conspiracy charges …

The Canadian Supreme Court ruled Friday that damages are an appropriate remedy for violations of a citizen's rights under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The case arose after Vancouver lawyer Cameron Ward was mistakenly arrested for making threats against then-prime minister Jean Chretien. Ward was detained and eventually arrested for …

A Turkish court on Friday ordered the arrest of 102 people, including two serving and three retired military officers, in connection with an alleged coup plot. The 2003 Balyoz Security Operation Plan, or "Sledgehammer" plot, which included plans to bomb Istanbul mosques and provoke Greece into shooting down a Turkish plane in …

The appeals chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Friday suspended an order issued last week directing the release of accused Congolese militia leader Thomas Lubanga Dyilo. The court ordered Lubanga's release after previously ordering a stay in the proceedings until …

US Senator Jim DeMint (R-SC) introduced legislation Wednesday intended to block the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) from implementing its National Broadband Plan. The Freedom for Consumer Choice Act would remove the FCC's ability to declare the actions of a communications provider illegal unless there was a clear showing that the …

US Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) on Wednesday introduced an amended version of the Senate campaign finance bill in order to gain support from moderate Republicans in the hope of increasing the chance of the bill's passage. The bill, known as the Disclose Act, was developed in response to the January US Supreme Court [official …

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to force Montana to provide legal status to same-sex relationships. The lawsuit, filed in Montana's First Judicial District Court on behalf of seven same-sex couples, seeks declaratory judgment that the state must provide a legal status to same-sex couples that confers the …

The US Senate will not pass broad climate legislation during this session, according to statements made Thursday by Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV). Reid said that the body lacks the 60 votes necessary to end debate on the bill and pass the legislation, but also indicated that he would attempt to pass …

A Chinese court on Friday convicted a Uighur journalist of endangering national security for statements made following the 2009 Xinjiang riots. The Intermediate People's Court of Urumqi sentenced Gheyret Niyaz, editor of uighurbiz.net and two state-run websites, to 15 years in prison after the one-day trial for …

Chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) Luis Moreno-Ocampo on Thursday called for the arrest of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, saying that he will eventually face trial before the ICC. Last week, the ICC charged al-Bashir with three counts of genocide in relation to the …